Over break, my family traveled to Ft. Lauderdale, where we spent a few days with some relatives before boarding the Liberty of the Seas, one of the ships in Royal Caribbean’s fleet. This was only the second cruise we’ve been on, and I was looking forward to relaxing after a very hectic fall semester. The ship was gigantic, with 12 decks and over 4,500 passengers and over 3,000 crew members. It was literally a floating city, with multiple pools, two gigantic dining rooms, multiple bars, a promenade with shops and restaurants, a casino, an ice-skating rink, and a Broadway-sized stage and theatre — you get the picture. I was overwhelmed at first, but eventually settled in and truly enjoyed the four-day vacation with my family. Because of our busy schedules, we hadn’t gone on a family vacation in a long time.
While I had a great time on the cruise, there were a few things that bothered me about it. First off, I was surprised by the continuous emphasis on alcohol. They were always promoting drink packages and different drink options. And while it was a family cruise, there was such a heavy emphasis on drinking and partying. I would walk through the boat and see adults in the casino at 2pm already drunk. I have no problem with alcohol and don’t see it as a bad thing, however, it was so in-your-face that I was surprised. Another thing that bothered me was how the overwhelming majority of passengers were American, while the overwhelming majority of crew members were not. The only American crew members I saw were the performers and the cruise director’s staff, who was in charge of all of the events that took place on the boat. I can’t imagine that working on a cruise ship is glamorous — our waiters told us that they work 9-11 hours/day for 7 months straight and then they get a break. But its a job that pays the bills and puts food on the table.
We only got off the boat once in Cozumel, Mexico. There were six different ships that docked there that day, which means that approximately 20,000 people flooded this tiny town. It’s amazing to think about the amount of money from tourism alone that goes into their economy on a single day. Cozumel was absolutely beautiful and we enjoyed exploring the small town.
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